Pipe fitting



O. E. OLESON 'PIPE FITTING Filed August 30, 1920 /NvfA/T/e. OLAFE. 0L Eso/v ATTORNEY vPatented Dec. 29,

; UNITED STATES- OLAF n. oLnsoN, or onrcneo, naman.

PIPE nimma.

Application led August 30, 1920. Smal No. 408,884,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLA! E.' OLnsoN, .a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county .of Cook and State of I Illinois, lhave invented a new and useful Improvement'in Pipe Fittings, lof which the following is a specification. My invention relates to a form of pipe fitting for making tight joints between the l adjacent ends of pipes whether said .ends are provided with connecting. flanges or union connections, andthe. joints thus formed are particularly adapted to hold iuid in the pipes under high pressure Without leakage. I am aware that various forms of fittings for this purpose have heretofore been pro-4 posed, for example, gaskets of lrelatively-soft material and also-that tapered rings have been used formed integrally with the flanges or other connections on one side of the jointsl and extending therefrom to engage tapered grooves formed in ,the adjacent anges or connections when the joints are made between the pipe ends. Furthermore it has 5 been `proposed with the' latter construction to groove the ends of thetapered rings and make the taper of said rings somewhat sharper than the taper of the adjacent ring'- receiving grooves to cause the edges of the tapered rings to be compressed somewhat when the connections are drawn together. I find that soft gaskets cannot be depended upon for high pressures and that the tapered ring construction referred to is open to the objections, first, that the rings are readily injured and rendered useless because the rings 'are necessarily carried by and project from the connections While the pipes are being handled'and put in place for use; and furthermore said rings must necessarily be of the same material as the flanges with which they are integral and cannot therefore be made of material, such as'bronZe,

permitting the flanges to be made of material, such as steel,adapted to'v best with# `stand the large strains toiwhich the connections are subjected, due to. the high'pressures employed. v i

By my invention, the fittings are in the form of rings separate from the flanges 0or adapted to best make a tight non-corrosive` joint with the other parts, at the same time connections with which theyscooperate to form tight joints .and said rings may 'be made -of any desired non-corrosive material suchas-bronzeorfother alloy, and the flanges and 'connections may =be made of material selected `solely to meet the requirement of strength; furthermore `said fringe', being separate from said anges, may be safely kept from injury away from the work while the pipe isbeing erected .and :put in place as the last ste .in the erection; again, since the flanges and) connections carry no projecting parts involved in lmaking the 'tight fits between adjacent pipes, fbut on `.the 4other hand are all Aprovided with grooves for re- -ceiving the rings, the :said flanges. and leennections cannot readily be injured at said groolves dur-ing handling and erection. The

rings being separate parts may more readily be accurately made than where -they project from larger parts, and may Ybe carried l:in

.stock for use on any job ofthe same size pipe, making zit unnecessary @to make .and

stock one ring for each flange and connection of pipe as is required where the rings are integral with the anges and connections. By my invention I further limprove the fitting, bytapering the rings so they form -surface fits with the receiving grooves, and the rings are constructed so that the pressures restrained by the packed joints .are exerted within the rings themselves to expand them to tightly lit the cooperating surfaces of tliegrooves.

My invention will best bev understood by -reference to the accompanying drawings,

showing a preferred embodiment thereof, in which- Fig. 1 is 'a longitudinal, sectional View through two pipes and fianges Awith my fitting in place,

Fig, 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of a union connector equipped with .my fitting,

Fig.3 is a View lsimilar to Fig. l, to ,an enlarged scale, of one -side of the fitting and shows its relation to the cooperating grooves inthepipe flanges, and

Fig. 4 is an end view of the fitting or packin ring before being placed ina joint.

Simi a1' numerals refer tosimilar parts throughout the severaljviews.

' As shown in Figs."l and "3, two vpipes 10 and 11, having flanges 12 and 13 are shown in the position assumed when clamped together by suitable means, for example bolts,

as indicated. The flanges 1 2 and'13 have formed therein oppositely disposed end grooves 14 and 15 having taperedcross-sections of the same inclination as the tapered ends of the metal packing ring or fitting 16, which preferably is made of bronze or other non-corrodible alloy or metal of suicient hardness to withstand the compression strains to which it is vsubjected by bolting or forcing the flanges or connections together with lthe rin in place.

The ring 16 has ormed in its ends annular grooves 17 and 18 substantially as deep as the extent axially of the engagement of the rin with the co-operating flanges or connect1ons. At intervals around the ring, holes 19 are drilled or formed axially through. the ring connecting the grooves 17 and 18. Each hole 19 has opening into it a radial hole 20 extending centrally from the inside of' the ring into the hole19.

As a result of the construction described, in making a connection between two pipes, a ring 16 is placed between the adjacent flanges or connections, entering the grooves therein to receive said ring. The flangesv or connections are then drawnv forcibly together until the ring rests tightly against the inclined walls of each groove which it fits, and further drawing together of the flanges or connections is prevented by the resistance of the ring to distortion by compression. The connection thus made is as fluid tight as the fit'or1 the parts will permit and since theinclined surfaces of the ring and grooves'may be made by grinding, a degree of fit may readily be secured that is entirely satisfactory and safe for low fluid pressures without the use of fur.- ther construction for insuring a tight fit.

, For high fluid pressures, however, l find it desirable to insure a tight ht of the ring by communicating the fluid pressure through the holes 2O and 19 from the inside of the pipe, into the grooves 17 and 18,:

where said pressure serves to slightly expand or spring apart the relatively thin walls of each end of the ring. Since the ring fits the grooves before the application of said Huid pressure, the slightest tendency of the walls of either vend of the ring to separate results in holding the inclined sur-v faces together so positively that leakage along said surfaces cannot occur. Furthermore, it will be observed that the higher the pressure in the pipes is, the greater will bethe tendency of the ring end-walls to separate radially and thus the pressures between the inclinedV walls of the ringand grooves preventing leakage are proportional to the fluid pressures tending to cause the leakage.

As a result of this, when the fluid pressure in the pipes is relieved, as for example, where it is desired to change or repair the pipe assembly, the joints may readily be separated andthe rings may be .used again for packing the same or Aother joints-since said rings are not deformed` in any mannerb use. v

In Fig. 2,- Iyshow my improved fitting or pacikng ring 16 lapplied. to a union connector consisting of the members or' connections 21 and 22 and an. internally threadthe pipes is concerned issubstantially the same and the mode of operation of the ring 16 and its adilvantages are identical with those above described inv connectionA with Figs. l, 3 and 4. l f

' While ll have shown my invention in the particular embodiment above described, it will be understood that I- do not limit myselfto this exact construction in carrying out my invention, as .I may emply equivalents thereof, known to the art at the time of the ling of this application without departing from the scope of the appended claims. y

What l claim is:

1. ln a device of the class described, the i combination of pipe connections having end grooves provided with outwardly diverging walls, means for drawing said connections together and a metal rin having inclined ends of the same inclinatlon as and tting the corresponding walls of said grooves, said ring having grooves in its ends and a communicating passage between said grooves and the interior of said ring, the grooves in said ring being substantiallyas deep as the engagement between said ring and the grooves in said connections.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of lpipe connections having end grooves provided with outwardly diverging walls, means fordrawing said connections together and a metal ring having inclined ends of the same inclinatwn as and fitting the corresponding walls of said grooves, said ring having grooves in its ends, axial holes connecting the grooves in said ring and radial holes connecting said axial holes with the interior of said ring, thegrooves in said ring being substantially as deep as no l the engagementbetween said ring and the angle-of the tapered groove to be engaged thereby and having a passageway opening angle of the tapered groove to be engaged at its ends and at the mid portion of the thereby, said packing ring having grooves m inner surface of the packing ring. in its ends and axial holes connecting the 4. As a means for packing a joint begrooves with the inner surface of the ring. tween pipe connections having tapered end In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe grooves and devices for drawing the conmy name this 27th day of August, A. D. nections together, a packing ring having 1920. tapered ends, each of the same angle as the I LAF E. OLESON. 

